Glassware lehr



Jan. e, 1942.

D. G. .MERRILL GLAsswARE LEHR Fild July 2 Sheets-Sheet l u J l ,.,LziP/ 11:.3 i 1 a lllilililll I Jan. e, 1942. D, ,VERI-ML 2,268,609

GLASSWARE LEHR Filed July 8, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patentedv jan. 6, i942 naar 2,26&9

GLASSWARE LEER Donald G. Merrill, West Hartford, Conn., assigner to Hartford-Empire Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Applicationruiy 8,1939, serian No. essais 12 claims. (ci. 'ie-4i) Ihe present/invention relates to a method of and an apparatus foi annealing glassware, such as bottles, jars and the like. The invention is an improvement upon the so-called calorimeter" lehrs of the continuous tunnel type. Lehrs of the calorimeter type heretofore provided, comprised an elongate ware tunnel formed by walls of suitably graduated insulating material, through which tunnel the ware passed upon an openwork conveyor, preferably of woven wire construction. In these lehrs the glassware is rst brought to a uniform high annealing temperature, then slowly cooled through its annealing range, and thereafter cooled to handling temperature at an accelerated rate. The heating and cooling arrangements are such as'to cause rela-l tively rapid circulation of heating and cooling which great differences in the thickness of the various parts of the walls of the ware to be annealed do not exist. However diiilculty has been found to exist in the employment of such lehrs in the annealing of large ware having relatively heavy bottoms which contain more heat than the other portions, when the temperatures of all parts of the bottles are substantially the same. When such Ware leaves the heated section, it is at a uniform temperature somewhat below the lower annealing or critical temperature. On eritering the cooling section, it is surrounded by turbulent air currents of lower temperature. The thin sides of the ware fall in temperature faster than the thick part of the bottom, resulting in excessive temporary strains at the junctures of the sides and bottom, which leads to cracking.

A principal object of the present invention is te improve the calorimeter type of lehr by providing means by which greater transfer oi heat from the bottoms Aof the ware to its surroundings than from other portions of the glassware may be eected, so that the temperatures oi all portions oi the ware may be reduced at substantialiy the same rate.

Heretofore it has been customary to provide in calorimeter type lehrs a tunnel section separating the heated section from the accelerated cooling section in which cooling of the ware was determined to a major extent merely by the thermal characteristics of the surrounding walls. It is a further object of the present invention to provide in such section of a calorimeter type iehr perfect regulation of the temperature gradient within the tunnel, whereby the lehr is better ad-apted for annealing ware of varying types and amounts,

It is a further object of the present invention to provide in the intermediate section (between the sections in which rapid circulation of hot and cold gases is provided) a series of muilled passages surrounding the ware tunneLvthrough each of which cooling media maybe passed in selected amounts, whereby the heat gradient in this section may be varied and controlled as desired.

A .more'specic object is to provide -.a tunnell section with muied passages as aforesaid, in

which the cooling media may be caused' toA ilow either by natural draft or under pressure.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide, at least in a part of suchv cooling section, regulable means by which the cooling may be effected conjointly by -a muille cooling system and by direct circulation in the tunnel of additional cooling air, By the selected use of such means, together with the provisions for differenmeans which in effect act to vary the character of these walls as desired, so as to permit a more sa In the accompanying drawings I'have illus` trated one embodiment' of my invention as applied to a calorimeter type lehr of the general character shown in my copending application Serial No. 66,611, filed March 2,1936.

Figures i, 2' and 3 of the drawings show a lehr` of the calorimeter type in longitudinal central section, and indicate the functional division of Figure is an enlargement of a portion of Fig.

2 showing the muled cooling section in greater detail.

Fig. 5 is a'transverse section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. e, and

Fig. is ahorizontal section taken on the lineV v.fis shown the iehr comprises an elongate substantially horizontal Ware-annealing tunnel il formed of suitable refractory and heat insulated top i2, bottom i3 and side walls I4. A continuous opsnworir conveyor i5 has its ware-bearing strand carried through the tunnel upon a suitable openwork support, as the angles I G.

As indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the tunnel may be considered as functionally divided into a conditioning zone or section in which the glassware to be annealed is brought to substantially uniform temperature throughout all portions thereof; a slow cooling or annealing zone or section, in which the temperature of the ware is gradually and uniformly reduced from the high annealing to the low annealing temperature; a muiiled cooling zone or section in which the ware is further reduced in temperature, and an' accelerated cooling zone or section in which the ware is rapidly reduced in temperature to that at which it emerges-from the lehr onto a packing table I1.

Itis .to be understood, of course, that these several zones of conditioning, slow cooling, etc., do not necessarily correspond functionally with the spacing in the. lehr indicated' on the drawings. The zones may overlap or shift in accordancev with the Weight and character of the ware to be annealed, the lehr being regulable to provide for annealing ware varyingl widely in character and amount.

Means for supplying heated gases vto condition the glass, to control its slow cooling or annealing and to cause a rapidv recirculation of the gases in these zones may be provided in a number of knoJn Ways. As shown in the particular ernbodimentillustrated in the drawings, the conditioning zone may contain three series of transversely spaced gas burners I8, the burners being directed toward and into semi-muflied passages extending longitudinally from the burners toward the entrance end of the lehr. The gases from these burners pass in selected amounts forwardly below the ware, upwardly through openings I8a and thence through the ware, thence generally rearwardly and thence downwardly through the warebeing recirculated in part by the induction effect of the burners. Selected amounts of said gases may -be permitted to escape through the forward end of the lehr tunnel as determined by the setting of a damper l9.

In the slow cooling or annealing zone, gases of combustion are supplied by gas burners located below the belt at 'or near the central longitudinal median line of the tunnel, and tir- .ing into passages formed by cover blocks 2| toward the side walls. The gases pass upwardly adjacent to the sides, thence toward the longitudinal median line of the tunnel, thence downwardly through the ware, being causedl to recirculate by the induction effect of the' burners. This circulation may be aided by jets of air under pressure from a fan22 through a duct 23 introduced above and adjacent to the burners in the manner described in my copending application Serial No. 227,891, filed September 1, 1938. This feature, however, is per se no part of the present invention and hence is not further' described herein.

Following the slow cooling or annealing section and as shown in Fig. 2, there is provided a mutlle' cooling section, the provision, arrangement and combination whereof with other portions of the lehr, constitute the principal improvement of the or blower 24 which is connected xby suitable pipes 25-26 to a pair of pipes 21 and 28 located pipes are provided with nozzles 29 for directing air toward the longitudinal center line of the lehr against bellies 3l which direct the cooling air downwardlyso that it passes through the ware on the conveyor, thence beneath the waretoward the side walls and then upwardly to be reincorporated in the stream of air from the nozy zles. Suitable dampered openings (not shown) may be provided in the balles 3l to permit escape of part of the cooling air to and through dampered controlled take-oi! stacks. 3|. The cooling arrangements, as shown. are substantially the same as those disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 68,611.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6, the mullle cooling section of the lehr comprises a longitudinally extending series of transverse muilie passages surrounding the ware chamber Il. Preferably the walls common t0 the passages and the ware tunnel il are of'such character as to provide a diil'erential exchange of heat between the ware being cooled and the gases in the mullle chambers. For example, the

vided with openings 31 controlled by dampers 3l for the admission of atmospheric air into the muil'les.

'Stacks 39 controlled by dampers 40 communicating with openings into the upper passages 36 are lprovided for controllably venting gases in the mume passages to the atmosphere. By these means, atmospheric air may be drawn into and passed through each muiile in controlled amounts. 'I'hus the cooling effect of the adjacent mullie sections may be individually reguv,lated to give the desired temperature gradient in the ware being annealed.

' Means may be provided for accelerating the movement of cooling nuid ln the mullle and hence the cooling effect of the mullie. 'Such means may comprise nozzles ll located in the lower munie passage I4, to which nozzles air under pressure may be supplied as from the fan 22 through pipes 42-43 and under the control of valves Il. a

In designing" and constructing a lehr according to the present invention, when it is desired to obtain furthervariation of the cooling, effective on the ware in a portion'f the munie cooling zone, the cooling pipes 21--28 with the nozzles 42l may be extended forwardly into the muille cooling section and cooling air may thereby be admitted into the ware tunnel to the extent determined by the setting of valves l5, Fig. 2.

As the exterior walls of the muiile are suitably insulated, the mullle section may be employed when desired to restrict the cooling, as ln the intermediate section of the prior calorimeter lehrs, by closing the dampers Il and il.

It will thus be seen that -by the rovisions shown and described, a very highly selective, ilnely controlled and. if desired, differential cooling may be effected in themumed cooling section, and the cooling may be varied to suit a great variety of types and amounts of ware pass- Y ing through the tunnel in a given time.

inthe upper corners of the ware tunnel. These The improvement is peculiarly advantageous in the annealing of ware having relatively heavy bottoms and lighter side walls, in that such vfor cooling the glassware,

aaeacoe were arriving at the :nume cooling section at a `passages at the bottom, sides and top thereof.

substantially uniform temperature may be caused to lose heat more rapidly from the bottom thick portions which contain more heat units than the sides.

The arrangements are such that the transition of the ware from one temperature to another is a smooth and gradual one, Aand provides against sharp differences in temperature in dierent portions of the ware.

Having described my invention, claim is:

l. A glassware annealing lehr comprising an elongate ware tunnel, an openwork ware conveyor passing therethrough, means associated with the entrance end of said tunnel for supplying heated gases directly to and rapidly circulating them within the tunnel and about the ware on the conveyor, a series of independent muiiles sur rounding a subsequent section of said ware what I tunnel adapted 'for operation simultaneously with the circulation of heated gases as aforesaid, and means for passing cooling gases in the the interior walls of said munie forming the bottom ofvthe ware tunnel being of higher heat conductivity than otherl walls of .the muilie, dampered means for passing air by natural draft through said muie passages in regulated quantitles, means for blowing cooling air under pressure through said ,passages toaccelerate. the

cooling, and valves for controlling the extent of said acceleration.

6. A glass ware annealing lehr of the :calorimeter tunnel type comprising a tunnel, means for circulating heating and cooling gases 'respectively in forward and rearward sectionsy thereof, a glassware conveyor. passing therethrough. an intermediate tunnel sectionk surrounded by mume passages, means for selectively munies around the said section of the ware tunnel 1 2. A calorimeter` type tunnel lehr comprising an elongate ware tunnel, means adjacent to the ends thereof respectively for 'introducing and circulating hot'and cool gases within the ware tunnel, a series of independent muille sections intermediate the length of the tunnel, each comprising passages at the bottom, sides and top of the'tunnel, dampered means for controllingf",

the admission of air to the muflle passages. and

dampered means for permitting exit of air fromr e said passages.

3. A glassware annealing lehr comprising an elongate ware tunnel, an openwork conveyor passing therethrough, means associated withia section vof the tunnel adjacent to the entrance end thereof for introducing circulating heated gases in the tunnel and about the ware on the conveyor, a muilled cooling section intermediate the length of the lehr including muilied passages surrounding the tunnel',` an accelerated cooling section adjacent the exit end of the lehr in which cooling air is circulated in thetunnel and about the ware, means associated with the muiiled cooling section for selectively and controllably admitting air to the muiiled passages beneath the path of the ware and for removing it from the portions of the inutile passages above the path of the ware, and other means for ap` plying air under pressure in said passages. whereby the extent and intensity of cooling in the muliled section may be accelerated.

4. A lehr of the calorimeter type comprising a tunnel having a forward heating portion adjacent to the entrance end and an accelerated cooling section adjacent to the exit enclI in both of which the gases are positively circulated in a predetermined manner, an intermediate tunnel section comprising a series of separated muilie passages surrounding the tunnel, means for introducing cooling uid into each -ci the munie passages, and means associated with each of said passages for independentlyv regulating the passage of cooling gases therethrough.

5. A calorimeter type tunnel lehr comprising an elongate ware tunnel, means adjacent to the ends thereof respectively for circulating hot and termediate the length of the tunnel comprising is passing air by natural draft through said passages. means fori. blowing air under lpressurel to the ware-receiving end of the lehr for supplying heated gases to and recirculating them in the ware tunnel, a muille surrounding a subsequent section of said ware tunne1 and having walls of higher conductivity at the bottom of .said tunnel than `at the sides and top thereof, whereby the rate of extraction of heat from the bottoms of said ware may be accelerated Vbeyond that of extracting heat from the other portions of the ware, and means for passing cooling gases through said munie.

8. A calorimeter type tunnel lehr comprising an elongate ware tunne1 and means adjacent to the ends thereof respectively for circulating hot and cool gases within the ware tunnel'in direct contact with the ware passing therethrough, a mullle section intermediate the length of the tunne1 comprising passages at the bottom, sides and top, the interior walls of said muille forming the bot-A tom of the ware tunnel being of higher heat conductivity than the other walls of the mume, and dampered means for vpassing air through said munie passages in regulated quantities;

9. A calorimeter type continuous glassware anhealing lehr comprising a ware tunnel having a forward section in which the glassware may be brought to a uniform heat condition and slowly cooled by gases of combustion circulated within the tunnel in direct contact with the ware passing therethrough, a y tunnel section adjacent thereto, rnuiiledl passages passing -transversely of the tunnel beneath, above and on the sides of the ware, said passageshaving walls beneath the ware of greater heat conductivity than at the sides and top. and means for passing cooling fluid through said passages at controlled and variable rates.

lil. A lehr for annealing glassware comprising an elongate ware tunnel, an openwork conveyor passing therethrough, means eiective in a portion ci the tunnel adjacent to the ware-receiving end .of the lehr for rapidly circulating heated gases in said ware tunnel in direct contact-.with the ware passing therethrough, means effective in' a portion of the tunnel adjacent to the exit end oi the lehr for rapidly circulating cooling gases in the tunnel in directv contact with the ware passing therethrough, muiiled cooling means associated with an intermediate portion of the lehr,

.and means also effective in said intermediate portionrior directlyintroducing and circulating cooling gases in the ware tunnel and about and in direct contact with the ware.

' .11. A lehr for annealing glassware comprising y an elongate ware tunnel, an openwork conveyor passing therethrough, means effective in a portion of the tunnel adjacent to the ware-receiving end of the lehr for rapidly circulating heated gases in said ware tunnel in direct contact with the ware passing therethrough, means effective in a portion oi the tunnel adjacent to the exit end .of the lehr for rapidly circulating cooling` gases in the tunnel in direct contact with the ware passing therethrough, muiiled passages at an intermediate portion of the lehr having walls commonvwith the ware tunnel of diilering heat ,conductivitiea means for passing a cooling mediumthrough said passages, and means located at leas'iI in part in said intermediate portion of said tact with the ware passing therethrough, and

' means for variably regulating the cooling gases lehr for directly introducing and circulating a cooling medium in the ware tunnel in direct conpassing through the muilled passages and those introduced into the ware tunnel.

12. A glassware annealing lehr comprising an elongate tunnel, an openwork ware conveyor passing therethrough, means associated with the entrance end portion of the tunnel for introducing hot gases into the tunnel in direct contact with the ware passing therethrough and'for circulating such gases therein in a predetermined DONALD G. MERRniL. 

